we are looking at a 2000 Chevy Caviliar 2 door with 121K for our daughter. What are some things to look for when we test drive it? What price would you give? The Body looks good, the tires look good, looks like it was taken care of inside...seats not torn or dirty.

We are not car people, what are some things to look for?

Thanks in advance

L.A. Chieffan

06-13-2012, 01:18 PM

you should get a LAMBO and then mod the hell out of it

Gracie Dean

06-13-2012, 01:19 PM

well, money is an issue for her right now so we can't be really picky. We THINK this might be a solution but we are not sure what to look for

Demonpenz

06-13-2012, 01:24 PM

JASONSAUTO or Googlegoogle could probably help you.

Gracie Dean

06-13-2012, 01:27 PM

I just thought some of you car guys could give me some pointers. Oh well thanks anyway

Detoxing

06-13-2012, 01:30 PM

Honestly, i'd run the other direction. Those things were notorious PoS. I'm not sure what she's looking to pay, so yeah, can't be too picky....but buyer beware.

Detoxing

06-13-2012, 01:40 PM

As far as some things to look for:

check the Rotors to see if they're overly worn. There will be a ridge at the edge of the rotor which will help you "eyeball it".

check under the rocker panels, wheel wells and suspension for any overspray. That'd be a clear sign the car was in a collision.

Drive it. Listen for any knocks in the suspension. A car that old is due for a bad transaxle or bearing. Listen for rattles. I'm sure it rattles. It's a 12 year old Entry Level GM car.

just a few things to check for among many, i'm sure.

burt

06-13-2012, 02:04 PM

I wouldn't buy a GM product made between 1970 to 2002!

Thig Lyfe

06-13-2012, 02:05 PM

Pay them in camo shorts.

Brock

06-13-2012, 02:12 PM

What are they asking for it?

mikeyis4dcats.

06-13-2012, 02:16 PM

the simple answer is it's a 13yo Chevy Cavalier. It is not a late model vehicle, so you should expect you will have a fair amount of maintenance and repairs.

We got them down to 1500 and sold her piece of shit truck for 400 so we are pretty happy. Even if it only last 3 years till she is out of college, we will be satisfied. Thank you all for your advice.

mlyonsd

06-14-2012, 07:20 PM

yes, that is what it is.

We got them down to 1500 and sold her piece of shit truck for 400 so we are pretty happy. Even if it only last 3 years till she is out of college, we will be satisfied. Thank you all for your advice.Congrats. Good luck.

Tombstone RJ

06-14-2012, 07:29 PM

thank you. I don't remember what motor, but will look, what is the better one?

I bet you anything is the 2.2 4cyl. engine. It's basically a pontiac sunfire. If it was well taken care of, it should be ok. It's like any other inexpensive car (this is what the chevy cav/pontiac sunfire are, entry level cars). If they were taken care of, you'll be fine. If they were not maintained on a regular basis, you'll have problems.

Tombstone RJ

06-14-2012, 07:31 PM

But, fixing a chevy cav should be relatively inexpensive. Parts should be EASY to find, and any shade tree mechanic should be able to wrench on it.

Gary

06-14-2012, 07:33 PM

I was told multiple times when I was looking for a couple thousand dollar shit box to look at older mercedes benz diesels. I'm no mechanical expert but have been told those old diesel engines will run forever and get good gas mileage.

JASONSAUTO

06-14-2012, 07:33 PM

I would recommend taking it to a reputable shop for repairs. Lol
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JASONSAUTO

06-14-2012, 07:34 PM

I was told multiple times when I was looking for a couple thousand dollar shit box to look at older mercedes benz diesels. I'm no mechanical expert but have been told those old diesel engines will run forever and get good gas mileage.
The engines probably would. The injection pump on the other hand...
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Tombstone RJ

06-14-2012, 07:38 PM

I was told multiple times when I was looking for a couple thousand dollar shit box to look at older mercedes benz diesels. I'm no mechanical expert but have been told those old diesel engines will run forever and get good gas mileage.

the difference between a chevy cav and an old diesel mercedes is quit simple: the mercedes is going to be hella expensive to work on, parts will be hard to come by, and yes, a rocket scientist mechanic will have to work on it.

The chevy cav, not so much. In fact, if a person has any ounce of common sense and a garage with some tools (or hell, just a place to park the thing) then you can probably do a lot of fixes yourself.

But if you don't feel confortable working on a chevy cav, then yes, a good mechanic should be able to fix it quick and cheap (cheap compared to wrenching on anything German).

Gary

06-14-2012, 07:38 PM

The engines probably would. The injection pump on the other hand...
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What's your take on the old 80s MB diesels? Overall are they reliable to run/own?

JASONSAUTO

06-14-2012, 07:44 PM

What's your take on the old 80s MB diesels? Overall are they reliable to run/own?

I have a customer who drives one. He loves it.

Obviously parts are harder and more expensive, repairs more expensive.

It eats fuel pumps and injection pumps...
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JASONSAUTO

06-14-2012, 07:46 PM

And no offense rj but a cavalier is just like any other car. I would like to have safe cars on the roads around me. I've seen and fixed many shade tree mechanics attempts...
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Easy 6

06-14-2012, 07:48 PM

Take it for a drive, go to a big parking lot & pull maximum turns left & right listening for clunks, run it through every gear listening for clunks, particularly when you shift, how does the steering feel, too loose in the front end? is the engine running hard enough to rattle you in your seat? check the electric windows & if that all seems fine, then go to NADA.com to get an idea of what you should pay.

I just talked to a lady the other day who regretted getting rid of her old Cavalier, the guy she sold it to is well over 200K with it.

Gracie Dean

06-14-2012, 07:55 PM

that is great to hear!

Tombstone RJ

06-14-2012, 07:57 PM

And no offense rj but a cavalier is just like any other car. I would like to have safe cars on the roads around me. I've seen and fixed many shade tree mechanics attempts...
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fair enough, but and compitent mechanic should be able to work on a chevy cav, that's the point.

Deberg_1990

06-14-2012, 08:02 PM

we are looking at a 2000 Chevy Caviliar 2 door with 121K for our daughter. What are some things to look for when we test drive it? What price would you give? The Body looks good, the tires look good, looks like it was taken care of inside...seats not torn or dirty.

We are not car people, what are some things to look for?

Thanks in advance

Are they paying you to take it? Even that price might be too high.

JASONSAUTO

06-14-2012, 08:13 PM

fair enough, but and compitent mechanic should be able to work on a chevy cav, that's the point.

Uh huh.
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SPchief

06-14-2012, 08:15 PM

Make sure they change the blinker fluid for you

BeaverEater

06-14-2012, 08:16 PM

Those things were notorious for breaking muffler belts.

Chiefaholic

06-14-2012, 09:08 PM

We had a 99 Cav for several years w/o any major issue what-so-ever. As somebody else said, parts are cheap and easy to find. When we traded it, it had 124K on it and it still ran fine.

El Jefe

06-15-2012, 06:54 AM

I wouldn't buy a GM product made between 1970 to 2002!

Well I currently have 4 GM products in those year ranges and I love them. Great dependable cars.

El Jefe

06-15-2012, 06:58 AM

I would say that if it drives out good and you have a mechanical inspection done at a shop you trust it will probably be ok.

What motor?

And I haven't seen anything with those that would make me act like most in this thread are acting. Lol.And I would also bet that I've seen more than anyone else here.
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I concur, transmission wise they are ok, not a notrious crappy transmission. We have quite a few customers who have very high mileage cavaliers that we do their PM work for them, and they love them.

If it drives ok, and all the fluids look good, you could have a mechanic check it if you are really worried and see if he see's any flaws. My wife has a 96 Escort, those things are cheap junk, but I have fixed so many things on it and kept up with the preventative maintainence that its a great car. If they've taken care of it you should be ok. When you are working with that amount of money it really is a crap shoot with how great of a car you can get. You can't buy a Mercedes with ford escort money JMO.

JD10367

06-15-2012, 07:24 AM

we are looking at a 2000 Chevy Caviliar 2 door with 121K for our daughter. What are some things to look for when we test drive it? What price would you give? The Body looks good, the tires look good, looks like it was taken care of inside...seats not torn or dirty.

We are not car people, what are some things to look for?

Thanks in advance

I highlighted the two key sentences. Don't look for anything. Take it to a reputable mechanic and have him give it the once-over. There could be any number of expensive issues on a car that old (brakes, shocks and struts, head gasket or cracked engine block, alignment, stability of important body parts like axles and the frame, etc.,.). Even if they only want $500 for the car, if you buy it and find out in a month it needs $800 worth of work...

JD10367

06-15-2012, 07:28 AM

I wouldn't buy a GM product made between 1970 to 2002!

I have a 1999 Saturn SL2 that I bought new. I had routine periodic maintenance on it, and am still driving it with around 143k on it. The only time I remember it breaking down was around 4 years ago at just below 100k when the clutch gave out and I had to have that replaced.

Here's the thing about cars: while some models are prone to specific problems, by and large it's a crapshoot. Cars are like women: whether you get a dependable one or a clunker is the luck of the draw, and you can't go by what they look like on the outside. ;)

burt

06-15-2012, 07:39 AM

I have a 1999 Saturn SL2 that I bought new. I had routine periodic maintenance on it, and am still driving it with around 143k on it. The only time I remember it breaking down was around 4 years ago at just below 100k when the clutch gave out and I had to have that replaced.

Here's the thing about cars: while some models are prone to specific problems, by and large it's a crapshoot. Cars are like women: whether you get a dependable one or a clunker is the luck of the draw, and you can't go by what they look like on the outside. ;)

Dude....that was mean!!!!

TEX

06-15-2012, 10:57 AM

Cars are like women: whether you get a dependable one or a clunker is the luck of the draw, and you can't go by what they look like on the outside. ;)

ROFL

Gracie Dean

06-15-2012, 05:06 PM

thanks, with some advice here and a look over by our mechanic we got the vehicle. We hope she gets 2-3 years out of it to last her for the rest of her Nursing Degree and when she gets her first job, she can upgrade.